NHS Fightback is urging National Health Service workers to reject the leadership of trade unions, accusing them of consistently betraying workers’ struggles. The group argues that these unions have collaborated with management and the government to impose detrimental policies, including pay cuts, privatization, and workforce reductions. They cite examples such as the acceptance of below-inflation pay offers and the failure to adequately oppose the dismantling of the NHS.
NHS Fightback asserts that traditional trade union structures are insufficient to defend workers’ interests in the face of austerity measures and government policies aimed at undermining public healthcare. They propose the creation of rank-and-file committees, independent of the established unions, as a means for workers to directly control their working conditions and negotiate their demands. These committees would be democratically controlled by the workers themselves, allowing them to formulate their own strategies and take collective action without relying on what they see as compromised union officials. The goal is to empower workers to fight for better pay, improved staffing levels, and the preservation of a fully public and accessible NHS.
find the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/05/01/upue-m01.html